The Primary Benefit: Identifying Risks and Security Gaps

B.

Continuous monitoring of access controls is a critical component of ensuring the security and integrity of an organization's information systems. It is an ongoing process that involves the collection, analysis, and reporting of security-related data to identify and respond to security threats or violations in a timely manner.

The primary benefit of conducting continuous monitoring of access controls is the ability to identify possible noncompliant activities that lead to data disclosure. This means that organizations can detect and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information by monitoring access controls, such as user accounts, privileges, and permissions. By continuously monitoring access controls, organizations can quickly identify and respond to any potential security incidents before they can cause significant harm.

In addition to identifying noncompliant activities, continuous monitoring of access controls can also help organizations track leading or lagging key risk indicators (KRIs). KRIs are measurements used to assess the level of risk associated with a particular system or process. By monitoring access controls, organizations can track KRIs such as failed login attempts, unauthorized access attempts, and changes to user accounts or permissions. This information can be used to identify and prioritize security risks and take appropriate measures to mitigate them.

Continuous monitoring of access controls can also help identify inconsistencies between security policies and procedures. This is because access controls are typically implemented based on security policies and procedures. By monitoring access controls, organizations can ensure that they are in compliance with their security policies and procedures and identify any areas where policies or procedures may need to be updated or revised.

Finally, continuous monitoring of access controls can help identify unknown threats to undermine existing access controls. This is because access controls are often the first line of defense against cyber threats. By continuously monitoring access controls, organizations can detect and respond to new or emerging threats that may be attempting to bypass or undermine existing access controls.

In summary, the primary benefit of conducting continuous monitoring of access controls is the ability to identify possible noncompliant activities that lead to data disclosure. This helps organizations detect and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information, track leading or lagging key risk indicators, identify inconsistencies between security policies and procedures, and identify unknown threats to undermine existing access controls.